Latching mechanism



P 1951 w. A. ENDTER LATCHING MECHANISM 4 Sheet-Sheet 1 Filed June 1, 1945 Sept. 25, 1951 w. A. ENDTER 2,569,040

LATCHING MECHANISM Filed June 1, 1945 4 SheetS She et 2 VIII/ Ill III/III; III (/4 III! 'IA'IJ'IIIIIA Sept. 25, 1951 w, ENDTER 2,569,040

LATCHING MECHANISM Filed June 1, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 VEN 702 H77UZNEV Sept. 25, 1951 w. A. ENDTER 2,559,040

LATCHING MECHANISM Filed June 1, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 jil' 1 lNl/EN TOE (flaw/11a): d. f'ndtat,

HTTOIZNEV Patented Sept. 25, 1951 UNITED STATS PATENT OFFICE 2,569,040 LATCHING MECHANIS M Wlaldemar A. Endter, Long Beach, Calif. Application June 1, 1945, Serial No. 597,097

8 Claims. (01. 292-220) This invention pertains to improvements in latch mechanisms adaptable generally for latched association of relatively movable members, or closures with relatively stationary structures. Particularly the invention contemplates important advances and improvements in automobile door latches and locks, and will be described; typically as embodied in that form of la ch n ism- One of my major objects is to provide improvements intended to simplify the construction and operation of the type of mechanisms disclosed in my application Serial Number 524,163, filed February ;2 8, 1944, on Latch Devices, now Patent No. aavaeaz. Re ren e a b h d t t a pat tor a more complete explanation of the fundamental pr nciples. nd nc el of is general ty la ch mech nism Fo p e pur it wiii suflice to observe that its essential characeristi a e p icated on 1 a l te a a te a a ter e o t enters he ee e i 1 not acciden ally di e a a can ly h relea ed b n a ope at n a d (2) the provi ie of a ake-11 me m op abl wh n the bolt is securely within the keeper, to crowd the door against the pillar by movement indeen of t e ol and ep o to. exert po in th s a ainst t e c os e and b l in ren en l of an req ire n for o mov lllfi al ne th kee er- As i e the p e e mec an sm employs the fundamental principles of the latches disclosed in said patent, but presents important advantages, particularly with respect to the selfatting a e- 1 mean n mpli t n ec m 'Qf construction and the assured ease and security at its operation. .Qne major improvement is the provision of eccentric means primarily for accomplishing the take-up action, and also as an .qperative mounting forcertain associated parts of the mechanism that permits their reduction to a few simple parts in compact and easily assembled arrangement.

Another feature is the employment of the eccentric to actuate and .control a means for dogging or holding the bolt against anti-latching movement with relation to the keeper. Particularly the invention contemplates utilizing the eccentric means as a mounting for a dogging E ement, all in a manner such that in the bolt latching position ,of the eccentric means the dogging .element is maintained in holding position, whereas when the parts are operated to disengage the latch, the doggingelement is retracted in predetermined relation with the movement f th ecc nt i mea sits preferred form, the invention embodies an eccentric center or shaft upon which the bolt is mounted for relative rotation and also, for bodily movement within the effective or opera:- tive range of the shaft eccentricity. The capacity of the bolt for relative rotation permits its independent movement when first engaging and entering the keeper. By spring-urging the eccentric shaft, the bolt, upon entering the keeper, is thrust against it while the eccentric simultaneously reacts against the door to crowd it in a closing direction.

By mounting the dogging element on the eccentric shaft, and by providing, suitable stop means determinative of the position of the eccentric means in the open or released condition of the latch, the dogging element at the time is maintained in released position. However, as the bolt is closed into the keeper, the accompanying effect on the eccentric is to cause it to exert, as explained, a latching thrust against the bolt and simultaneously to urge the dogging element in a holding direction so that the bolt is held against anti-latching movement from any position reachedas it progressively advances in the keeper. Thus the bolt not only is retained against inadvertent release out of the keeper, but it is held against retrograde movement as it advances in the keeper in response to the takeup action .of the mechanism.

All the various features and objects of the invention, as well as the details of a typical and preferred embodiment, will be understood to better advantage from the following description .of the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an outside elevation of the latch mechanism, the keeper parts appearing in section;

V Fig. 2 is a cross-section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Figs. 4 and 5 are views illustrating progressive and relative positionsof the bolt, keeper and holding (dog as the bolt advances into the keeper;

Fig. 6 shows the holding dog;

Fig. 7 is an end view showing the bolt and the bolt control element in the enterengaging relationship which they occupy in the mechanism;

Fig. 8 is a side view of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is an end view of the eccentric center or shaft and its control lever;

Fig. 10 is a side view of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary nside view showing the bolt and eccentric parts in a variational form of the invention;

Fig. 12 is a section on line I Z, IZ of Fig. 11;

deck I6. ,Figs. 9 and 10, is rotatable on the pin I8, the .latter passing through hole 29 extending longitudinally through the shaft in offset relation to its axial center.

contained within the usual angular cas I com- W V prising flange II which supports the latching mechanism proper, and flange I2 inside which is mounted the hereinafter described inside and outside operators. As will be understood, the case I0 is adapted to be secured in the customary manner to one of two relatively movabl members to belatched, for example to the door frame. ion the other member, for example the stationary I'door pillar, are mounted the keeper parts con- "sisting of the bolt-engaged keeper I3 and the horizontally projecting lug I4 engageable by the :bolt housing I5 and against which the housing is pressed by virtue of the bolt thrust against the keeper I3 in the positions of the parts represented lb Figs. 3, 4 and 5. j The bolt housing I5 is shown to b attached in therusual manner to the flange II and to be open at its lower end directly above the keeper I3. Attached to the inside of flange II is a sup- "porting plate or deck I6, the outline of which is lillustrated by the dot-dash lines in Fig. 3. As best illustrated in Fig. 2, the eccentric means, bolt, holding dog and the control levers, generally indicated at H, are mounted on pin I8 extending through and supported by the housing l5 and An eccentric center or shaft I9, see

Therotative position of the shaft I9 about pin I8 is controlled by lever 21 carried by ring "or sleeve, 22 held against rotation relative to the I-shaft by the reception of lug 23 within the longitudinal groove or way 24 in the shaft. By reference to Fig. 2 it will be seen that the lever arm 2I projects inwardly in offset relation t the .sleeve 22, thus permitting it to be positioned within th case opening 25 and thelever 2| to extend inside the case.

Face 2| of th lever arm is engaged by spring 26 suitably supported .at 28, the tendency of the spring constantly being to rotate the shaft I9 about the pin I8 in the direction of the arrow in Fig. l, and as will appear, to exert opposing thrusts against the closure member and bolt when the latter is engaged against the keeper I3.

The bolt 21 is rotatably carried on the shaft .19 at the outside of sleeve 22 within the housing I5. As best illustrated in Fig. '7, the bolt has a shaft receiving opening 29 and a downwardly projecting head 30 with an arcuate keeper engaging face 3 I.

Th bolt is controllable by a lever arm 32 integral with sleeve 33 which-is rotatable on the shaft I9 adjacent the deck I6, see Fig. 2. The

in the bolt, the arm 34 extending outside and bridging across sleeve 22 and the holding dog sleeve 36, again is clearly shown in Fig. 2. The

face 31 of arm 32 is engaged by a second spring 38 supported by the mounting at 28, the effect of the spring constantly being to resist rotation of the bolt 21 on the eccentric shaft in an antilatching direction. In the open position of the latch shown in Fig. 1, the curved edge 39 of arm 32 engages the case flange I2, the latter thus serving as a stop to arrest rotation of the bolt in an advancing or latching direction.

The ring or sleeve 36, see Fig. 6, rotatable on the shaft I9 between sleeves 22 and 33, carries the holding or dogging lever 40 having a curved end surface 4I engageable against the arcuate stationary abutment 42 which may be formed as an end wall of th deck I6 and which has its center of curvature at the axial center of the pin I8. The holding dog 40 is constantly urged to rotate about the eccentric shaft clockwise as viewed in Fig. 3 by suitable means, as for example the coil spring 43 placed about the shaft between sleeves 22 and 36, one end of th spring being received within opening 44 in the holding dog, and the opposite end of the spring bearing at 45 against the bent or angular portion 2Ia of arm 2|. Sleeve 36 carries a projection 46 which lies directly beneath and is engageable by lug 41 on the bolt control lever 32. Projection 46 in turn is engageable with the angular portion 2Ia of the offset eccentric shaft control lever 2I. as clearly illustrated in Fig. l.

The invention broadly contemplates the provision of any suitable mechanism controllable from the inside and outside of the door, to actuate the described latch parts, and directly or indirectly to lock the bolt against retraction from the keeper. Merely as illustrative, the control mechanisms appearing in Fig. 2 are shown to comprise a virtually reciprocable link 48 guided in its sliding movement against lug 49 and by pin 50 extending through slot 5i in the link. The lower end of the link extends within the lock mechanism housing 52 and is engaged by spring 53 which normally sistance of spring 53 and cause arm 55, by its engagement with the bolt control lever 32, to rotate the bolt in an anti-latching direction. Simultaneously with the bolt rotation, the holding dog 40 and eccentric shaft I9 are rotated in a corresponding direction, by virtue of the engagement of lug 41 with projection 46, and engagement of the latter against portion 2Ia of the lever arm 2|.

The inside operator, controlled by the usual link 59, comprises a lever 59 pivoted on the pin 50 and having an arm 60, the turned end portion SI of which is engageable against the end portion 55 of the arm 54. Upon retractive movement of the link 58, arm 60 is swung down to rotate the bolt and associated latch parts in a releasing dimovement. Suitable locking mechanism typically may comprise a key-controlled spindle 62 carrying a flange segment 63 which, when turned in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2, is

brought beneath the link 4-8 to prevent its downward movement. The view shows the flange segment in its normal or unlocking position.

In considering the operation of the latch mechanism, and with particular reference to.:the .actions and effects resulting .frommouement .of-the :bol-t into latched. association 'wit-h athe keeper,

assume first the parts to. be inthe positions :of Fig. 1 wherein the door member is openrand'th bolt disengaged from the keeper. As the door :is closed, the bolt first engages thezend face 65 of the keeper and is .cammed' upwardly against-the resistance of spring 38 to the position 10f Rig. :3, in which .the boltis receivedwithin a safetycatch recess .on :notch :65 in :the keeper. zl rom the forcgoing description, it will be understood-maths virtue of their interengagement through the lu .41, 4B and angular portion lla, the bolt; holdin dog and the eccentric control sleeve :22 :land therefore the eccentric shaft itselflmtabe with the bolt as is thus displaced by engagement with the keeper. At this point it may be obserred that :entered the keeper, item only b :released iby intentional manual manipulation .ofithe inside our outside. ofwthe .described inside or ,OlttSidBzOD- erators'.

:Referring now to Figs. l1 to 1-9 illustrating the variational form of the invention, thei-assembly 12 shown, .as in the first described dorm, to

"comprise theleccentric center or shaft sl3 rotatin boththe open position of Fig. 1, andztheisafety catch position of Fig. '3, the bearing end 44 of the holding dog is withheld from .engagementwiththe abutment 42, as illustrated by the clearance .space at '61.

Upon further closing movement into the keeper, the bolt rides over the high point" 68 and,

under the influence of spring 38, snaps down into the keeper, first to the position of Fig. .4,, iatsubstantially which point surface 39 of the boltrcontrol .arm 32 will be brought intoren agementwith :the case flange 12. Upon reaching the initial latched position of Fig. :4, however, the bolt and its control lever are permitted to rotate ahead :of the holding dog and eccentric .Shfl'fi' 'tdklfl t0 the fact that corresponding rotation of the ;latter parts is arrested bybolt engagement "W hkeeper. The resultant disenga ement of lues and 41 frees the holding dog forturning on-rthe eccentric shaft and to be brought hitoholdi-ng engagement with the abutment Likewise,

While spring 26, acting through the eccentric,

thus tends to move the door 'in a closing direction and with relation to the bolt engaged against the keeper, spring 38 continuously tends 'to'rdtate "the bolt further into the .keeper,-=with the result that as the door looseness is progressively'itaken up by crowding .it against the pillar, the bolt prolgressively advances into-the keeper, and' ulti- :matel'y to the full home position shown :in Fig. 5. The dogging element 40 simultaneously fishedvanced along and maintained by spring 43 in end engagement with the abutment 42 to effectively resist and positively hold the eccentric against bodily movement in a direction permitting-retrograde or anti-latching movement of the bolt from each most advanced position which it reaches in the keeper. It is important to observe that the resistance to anti-latching movement of the parts afforded by the holding dog 40, is a radial reactive force having no component of sufficient magnitude that any combination of able-on pin :14 terminating in the-housing .l Saand deck 16. 'The eccentric'tis surged-in a boltelatching direction by spring 1:5 acting against-lever arm 16 on sleeve 11 engaged at 18 against ithe flattened surface of the eccentric shaft so .that the lever and shaft rotate together. The belt 19, rotatably carried on the shaft 1.3 withinrthe rhousing I5, is controllable by lever -18!) integral with: the eccentric mounted sleeve 81 at the inside .of the case flange H, the .sleeve arm=82 being received within .the bolt opening 83 so that the control lever :8I0'and bolt rotatetogether. 'SpringzM, engaging the control lever 80, constantly :resists anti latching rotation of the bolt .on'the eccentric. Functionally the control lever :80, sleeve BI and .bolt '19 constitute a unitary assembly, the parts of :which inthe broad contemplation of the invention, may be .made as a single piece. For manufacturing purposes, and to facilitate assembly, it may be desirable to form the parts separately, substantially as illustrated.

From the description of the first described form of the invention, it will be understood that the function of the spring 15, acting through the lever 16 and sleeve 11, isto urge theeccentrio and bodily displace-the boltin alatchingdirection, and that spring 84, acting through the lever 8|], sleeve 8] and arm 82, resists any tendency for-the .boltto-rotate out Of thekeeper. As before, the parts arereleasable from latched association with the keeper bymanual actuation of *leverarm .54 on the :sliding link.

The principal features of distinction and importance in this variational form are the provision of dogging means carried directly by the bolt itself, or formed integrally with the bolt-and :the location of the dogging action at the .side of the :bolt :and eccentric assembly generally opposite the position of the first described dogging element. in this latter connection it may :be mentioned that the-dogging means may have aany desiredalocation about the bolt and eccentric assembly, as illustrated by the variancesxin :this .respect between. the :two illustrated embodiments.

Referring .to Figs. 11 and 13, the inner surface of-cthe :housing I15 is shown to be arcuately curved .at 285 about the center of .pin 14 and to be engageableby a curved surface shoulder :86 .on :the bolt, .see Fig. '15,-the curvature of the shoulder being somewhat less than the curvature of surface 85. The relationship between these surfaces and the centers of the :shaft 13 and pin 14 may be sub- -stantially asilaid'out.in Fig. 11.

:It 1 will be observed that in the 1 open or run- ..latch'ed positions of the parts :as :showniiniFig. 1 1, a1clearance exists at 8 1 between surface 8-5 and ":the lboltzshoulder 86, thus permitting unopposed rotation of the bolt as it is displaced by movement against the keeper, and then reversely projected into the keeper to the initial latched position of Fig. [3. In the latched condition of the parts, the bolt shoulder 86 is brought to bear against surface 85 to resist bodily displacement 7 ofthe bolt and eccentric in an anti-latching direction. To illustrate, the position and working relation of the eccentric to surface 85 is .such that any tendency for the bolt to be displaced away from the keeper l 3 as a result of the keeper tively stationary member and a. movable closure 'member, comprising a rotatable bolt to be cars'ried by one of said members and engageable with a keeper carried'by the other of said mem- 2, beers, eccentric means mounting said bolt and exerting opposing thrusts against the bolt'and said one member to hold the bolt against the keeper and at the same time to bodily move the closure member toward said stationary member, an abutmerit on said one member stationary relative to thebolt, and dogging means rotatable with the bolt and engageable with said abutment to restrain reverse movement of said eccentric means.

2; A latching mechanism comprising an eccentrically rotatable bearing, a bodily movable bolt actuated by said bearing and engageable with a keeper, yielding means rotatably'urging said bearing to thrust the bolt against the keeper,

and eccentrically operable dogging means actuated by said bearing to hold the bolt against -anti-latching movement.

3. A latching mechanism comprising eccentric means including an eccentrically rotatable shaft 'and' a sleeve, a bodily and rotatably movable bolt carried by said sleeve and engageable with a keeper, yielding means rotatably urging said shaft to thrust the bolt'against the keeper,

means forming a stationary abutment, and a dogging element carried by said shaft and engagea'ble with said abutment to hold the bolt against anti-latching rotation. 4. A latching mechanism comprising eccentric means including. an eccentrically rotatable shaft anda sleeve, a bodily and rotatably movable bolt carried by said sleeve and engageable with a keeper, yielding means rotatably urging said shaft to thrust'the bolt against the keeper, means resisting but permitting anti-latching rotation of the bolt and sleeve relative to said shaft, means forming a stationary abutment, a. dogging element carried by said shaft and engageablewith said abutment to hold the bolt against anti- -latching movement, said dogging element being yieldably urged against the abutment, and manually controlled means for retracting the bolt from the keeper and disengaging the dogging element from said abutment.

5. A latching mechanism comprising eccentric means including a shaft and a sleeve, a bodily and rotatably movable bolt carried by said sleeve and engageable with a keeper, yielding means tending to rotate said sleeve and bolt in a latching direction relative to the shaft, a second sleeve carried by the shaft, means maintaining said second sleeve against rotation relative to the shaft, and yielding means urging said second sleeve and shaft rotatably in a bolt latching direction.

' 6. A latching mechanism comprising eccentric means including a shaft and a sleeve, a bodily and rotatably movable bolt carried by said sleeve and engageable with a keeper, yielding means tending to rotate said sleeve and bolt in a latchingdirection relative to the shaft, a second sleeve carried by the shaft, means maintaining said second sleeve against rotation relative to the shaft, yielding means urging said second sleeve and shaft rotatably in a bolt latching direction, and interengag'ing means carried by said sleeves whereby anti-latching rotation of the bolt produces rotation-in a corresponding directionof said second sleeve and the shaft.

and engageable with a keeper, yielding means tending to rotate said sleeve and bolt in a latching direction relative to the shaft, a second sleeve carried bythe shaft, means maintaining said second sleeve against rotation relative to the shaft, a third sleeve rotatable on said shaft, means forming a stationary abutment, a dogging element carried by said third sleeve and engageable with said abutment to hold the bolt against anti-latching movement, yielding means urging the dogging element against said abutment, and interengaging means carried by said sleeves whereby anti-latching rotation of the'bolt produces rotation in a corresponding direction of said second sleeve and the shaft and also said third sleeve and the dogging element.

8. A latching mechanism comprising an eccentrically rotatable shaft, a bolt rotatable on said shaft and operable upon'rotation of the shaft to releasably engage a' keeper, means forming a stationary arcuate abutment, a dogging projection integral with said bolt and engageable with said abutment to hold the bolt against antilatching movement, yielding means rotatably urging said bolt in a latching direction, and yielding means rotatably urging said shaft to thrust the bolt against the keeper.

" WALDEMAR A. ENDTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

